Cigarettes containing low levels of tar and nicotine were still harmful and the best way to protect one's health was to quit smoking, said a spokesman for Hong Kong's Department of Health here Tuesday.

"When smokers choose cigarettes in the low-tar group instead of those from the middle-tar or high-tar groups, they may take larger and more frequent puffs or even smoke more cigarettes each day," said the spokesman.

Citing the 2007 findings of the Government Laboratory on the tar and nicotine yields of 77 brands of cigarettes in Hong Kong, he noted that the average tar and nicotine yields were 9.4 milligrams and 0.69 mg per cigarette respectively, representing a rise of 0.5 mg for tar and a drop of 0.08 mg for nicotine respectively compared with the findings of 2006.

"Quitting smoking is the only way to reduce a smoker's risk of developing a range of chronic diseases like cancers and heart problems," he said.

In view of this, the requirement to bear tar group designation on tobacco products has been repealed in the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance of Hong Kong, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2008)